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. 2014 Dec;48(6):1211-21.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.05.005. Epub 2014 May 28.

Ethical conduct of palliative care research: enhancing communication between investigators and institutional review boards

Amy P Abernethy  1 , Warren H Capell  2 , Noreen M Aziz  3 , Christine Ritchie  4 , Maryjo Prince-Paul  5 , Rachael E Bennett  2 , Jean S Kutner  6
Affiliations

Ethical conduct of palliative care research: enhancing communication between investigators and institutional review boards

Amy P Abernethy et al. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Palliative care has faced moral and ethical challenges when conducting research involving human subjects. There are currently no resources to guide institutional review boards (IRBs) in applying standard ethical principles and terms-in a specific way-to palliative care research. Using as a case study a recently completed multisite palliative care clinical trial, this article provides guidance and recommendations for both IRBs and palliative care investigators to facilitate communication and attain the goal of conducting ethical palliative care research and protecting study participants while advancing the science. Beyond identifying current challenges faced by palliative care researchers and IRBs reviewing palliative care research, this article suggests steps that the palliative care research community can take to establish a scientifically sound, stable, productive, and well-functioning relationship between palliative care investigators and the ethical bodies that oversee their work.

Keywords: Palliative care; human subjects protection; institutional review boards; research ethics.

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